Tyler Michaelson
| introducer = | cross = | years = 2012— | first = December 14, 2012 | last = | classification = Future; regular | books = | spinoffs = | family = | owner = | gender = Male | species = | breed = | alias = | born = | died = | residence = Genoa City | occupation = | image2 = | caption2 = | image3 = | caption3 = | spouse = | romances = | father = | mother = | adoptivefather = | adoptivemother = | stepfather = | stepmother = | brothers = | sisters = Leslie Michaelson | sons = | daughters = | adoptivesons = | adoptivedaughters = | stepsons = | stepdaughters = | grandsons = | granddaughters = | grandfathers = | grandmothers = | uncles = | aunts = | nephews = | nieces = | cousins = | relatives = }} Tyler Michaelson is a fictional character from the original CBS Daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. The role was originated by international model, Redaric Williams. Tyler is younger brother of Leslie Michaelson. Casting and creation }} In August 2012, with the installation of new executive producer, Jill Farren Phelps and head-writer, Josh Griffith, Y&R released a casting call for the contract role of Tyler Douglas. Following a casting call very similar to the character of Lily Winters (Christel Khalil), rumors began to circulate that the character of "Tyler" was a recast for Lily's brother, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James). However, Phelps later confirmed that Bryton was secure and the casting call was indeed for a new character. Williams's audition tape would later surface revealing some very crucial information about the character. Initially, Tyler was to be introduced as the nephew of Sarge Wilder (Darnell Williams) and interacts with Lily when he starts working at Jabot Cosmetics. Later, Griffith stated that the character's familial relationship to Sarge was subject to change. On October 15, 2012, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Williams had been cast in the role of Tyler Douglas and was expected to begin airing in November. Soaps In Depth later confirmed that Williams had taped his first official scenes during the week of November 5, and would make his first appearance on December 12. Legendary casting director, Judy Blye Wilson's strategy of spreading the word about the casting call definitely payed off. According to Wilson, despite Williams being very well known in the modeling world, he was not on the show's radar. Williams's manager heard about the casting call and had the actor upload his audition tape to Youtube channel so Wilson could see it. Williams later revealed that after sending in his audition tape, he was contacted by the series to screen test with Khalil and Daniel Goddard who portrays Lily's husband, Cane Ashby. After much speculation, the December 2, 2012 issue of Soap Opera Digest revealed that the character would actually be the younger brother of long running recurring character, Leslie Michaelson (Angell Conwell) and would first appear on December 14. However, due to news coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Williams' first air date was postponed until December 17. Development Characterization The initial casting call described Tyler as being in his late 20s/early 30s. Tyler becomes an orphan at the age of 16 and works his way through college to get an MBA. "He's driven to succeed. Smart, energetic. Well-read. Smoothly sexy and confident, with a witty, sometimes cynical sense of humor." In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Williams described the character as being a confident, well-rounded, and ambitious, "streetmart guy," with intelligence. However, the character is also very impatient. Tyler is "Quick to draw, quick to shoot," with a marketing and design background that makes him very appealing to the corporate raiders of Genoa City. According to Williams, Tyler at first may come off as a bad guy, and compared him to "a bull in a china shop." Tyler is not your typical "schooled cookie-cutter graphic designer," Williams said in an interview. Tyler comes from humble beginnings so the only way for him to get his art seen was through spray painting gratify. "He is an artsy and urban art guy," Williams said of Tyler. CBS Daytime's senior vice-president, Angelica McDaniel described the character as a "young" and "hip" artist who understands the power of social media and marketing. Tyler has a "strong presence" said Williams and can be a "live wire." But the character is "controlled." Tyler is agenda driven, and he is not just there to cause trouble. Williams explained that what appealed to him the most was that Tyler's personality gave him a lot of freedom in his portrayal of the character. Tyler is not one note, he is unpredictable. Tyler comes to Genoa City looking for a job, but also has very clear intentions with a very specific character; however, Tyler has good intentions. According to Angelica McDaniel, the character has many layers that will need to be explored. In an interview with TV Buzz's Deanna Barnet, Williams categorized Tyler as being a "social chameleon" and explained that Tyler is capable of adapting to any social setting. Though Tyler is willing to adapt, he does not conform; instead, he tries to get his environment to conform to what he wants. If met with disapproval, Tyler changes his approach. According to Williams, Tyler isn't easily shaken and he's "seasoned by life." Tyler has been through a lot in life and his confidence may be perceived as cockiness. According to Williams, Tyler is confident "because he knows he's competent." If Tyler feels that he is coming off as cocky, which is often, then he will back off. Relationships According to Williams, Leslie and Tyler are very comfortable with one another and have a very playful relationship. In an interview with Soaps In Depth, Williams compared Tyler and Leslie's relationship to his relationship with his real life sister, who is also a lawyer. Upon his introduction, Tyler begins flirting with Lily Ashby, and immediately clashes with her husband Cane. When the two end up in a sauna together, "it creates an opportunity," said Williams. "Cane's less receptive to the way Tyler comes in unrelentlessly. Tyler's not worried about what anyone thinks or feels, and it rubs Cane the wrong way, Williams explained. Cane advises Tyler "to tone it down a notch, while Tyler is trying to make a connection." However, Williams acknowledged that Cane and Tyler aren't really that different. "The stuff he's throwing at me, it's kind of there on his side, too. So Tyler tells him to look at himself." Williams described Cane and Tyler's meeting in the sauna as "a very masculine scene. It's two guys with their shirts off. There's a bit of an argument. But there's also a mental thing going on. Their conversation covers a multitude of things. It's almost like a chess game, with these guys going back and forth." When asked if they're dynamic could develop into a friendship, Williams responded, "These two guys are either best friends or the worst enemies." When it comes to Tyler's interest in Lily, Williams stated, "it's not that serious." With Tyler being so new to Genoa City, "sky's the limit and he's definitely a flirt." Tyler's got nothing to lose by flirting with Lily, so he does. "I don't think he's ever been in a situation where his flirtation or interaction with a lady has led to something deep and genuine," Williams said. He continued, "But if cupid was shooting an arrow in his direction, I don't think he would try to move away, either." If there is a real connection, "he would embrace the realness," Williams said. Tyler will not run from something that he thinks is genuinely real. "He's developing, as a human being. He's coming of age. He's a man. And he's now in a new environment…" Williams admitted that he was not sure if the writers would actually allow Tyler to come in between Lily and Cane, but he was very much open to any possibility afforded to him. However, Williams was aware that Tyler's interactions with Cane and Lily might not sit well with the couple's very vocal fan base. Williams added, that instead of causing trouble for the couple, he hoped it would make for an interesting dynamic. Storylines Leslie sets up an impromptu job interview with her boss and Jabot Cosmetics CEO, Neil Winters (Kristoff St. John). Neil and daughter Lily like Tyler's marketing ideas while Jabot's owner, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), and COO Cane, disapprove. Tyler's flirtatious behavior with Lily does not sit well with Cane when Neil gives Tyler the job. However, Cane fires Tyler when Neil loses his job as CEO. Reception With the initial casting call, Jillian Bowe of Zap2it's Daytime Confidential applauded Griffith and Phelps for adding some diversity to the series. "Call the fire department because The Young and the Restless is bringing the heat!" Bowe said in response to the official casting announcement. Jamey Giddens described Williams's portrayal of Tyler as "hella hot" and stated that he was impressed with the new regime for considering Williams for the role of Tyler. Giddens also praised the series for introducing Tyler as Leslie's brother and adding "a sexy, new black family" family to the series and categorized the decision as a "smart move" in bringing diversity to the canvas. The casting was compared to Y&R's casting of then model, Shemar Moore as Malcolm Winters in 1994. Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice said that the casting could potentially help fans get past Moore's 2005 departure as Malcolm. Williams was "flattered" by the comparison. Williams later stated that he did not necessarily agree with the comparison, but he had no problem with it. Michael Fairman of On-Air On-Soaps saw the casting as a sign of the changes that would come with the new executive producer and head-writer. In November 2012, Sheryl Underwood of CBS Daytime's The Talk stated that Williams was worthy of People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive title and co-host Julie Chen even extended an invitation to Williams to appear on the talk show. On December 7, Williams appeared on The Talk along with costars Ignacio Serricchio, Lamon Archey and Marco Dapper to discuss their new roles. Williams who posted the video of his audition on his own personal Youtube channel was forced to take the video down when it attracted too much attention. We Loves Soaps named Williams as the "Sexiest Male" in Daytime for the year 2012. Y&R's casting director, Judy Blye Wilson described Williams as a "real natural" and applauded the actor being able to make the transition from modeling to acting so easily. The casting helped Wilson win her 11th Artios Award from the Casting Society of America. References External links Category:The Young and the Restless characters